This is a very important part of this course, and for many students, the most interesting. Perhaps this is because when we think of psychology we often associate it with the work it does in helping individuals deal with mental disorders. Most times those disorders might be just a simple phobia. Other times it may be something far more dangerous to the patient or to the community in which that subject lives. Here think of serial killers or rapists. There is a whole gamut of disorders to at least have a basic understanding of for a myriad of reasons. The most important of those reasons might be just to be able to help yourself.
This section will be divided into three general categories of focus: identifying a disorder, diagnosing a disorder and treating a disorder.
Lesson 1: What is a disorder?
Creating a definition of a disorder is an on-going and, thus, a challenging task. What might be considered a disorder in one place or time might not be in another place or at a different time. Case Study:
Did the person described in the case study above have a disorder? Explain. (In class activity).
Read pp. 510-513 (Take notes)
Lesson 2: Using the DSM IV & Diagnosing Disorders
Read pp. 514-516 (Take notes here or from classroom discussion)
This is only an introduction to the DSM IV However, you should become aware of its use, and of its inherent flaws. There is a history to this diagnostic tool. New disorders are added over time (see Aspberger's Syndrome) and some are deleted, i.e. homosexuality. DSM-IV-TR
Lesson 3: Anxiety Disorder & Somatoform Disorders
Read pp. 517-520 (Take notes)
We will be looking at whether or not you may be experiencing some form of anxiety. For this activity complete the questionnaire:
Compulsive behavior is behavior which a person does compulsively—in other words, not because they want to behave that way, but because they feel they have to do so.
Obsessive behavior when a person is continually preoccupied with a particular activity, person, or thing
Take the next 5 minutes of class time to complete the questionnaire given to you. This is not a clinical test; its purpose to to only provide you with some idea as to what extent you are a little OCD.
How to score:
A. Calculate the total number of answers circled True for questions 3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,13,14,15,16,22,23.
These are obsessions. If the total number of true answers circled for these questions is 1 or 2: You probably do not have clinically significant obsessions.
3,4,5, or 6: You probably have obsessions that are clinically significant.
7-14: You definitely have obsessions that are clinically significant.
B. Calculate the total number of answers circled true for questions 1,2,11,12,17,18,19,20,21,24,25,26,and 27.
These are compulsions. If the total number of true answers circled for these questions is 1,2,or3: You probably do not have clinically significant compulsions.
4,5,6,or 7: You probably have clinically significant compulsions.
8-13: You definitely have compulsions that are clinically significant.
N.B. clinically significant suggests that it is noticeable to the person and quite possibly to people around the person.
Answer the following questions in your group:
What might be the advantages of having high OCD? Low OCD?
What are the implications of OCD level in terms of mate selection (what problems would a couple with scores at the two extremes have?)
Which careers would be best match to each of the styles outlined above?
Lesson 4: Diagnosing and Treating a Disorder
Instructions: Read over the assigned case study given to you. Identify what condition the person might have. From your text (or from the Internet sources for Module 22)
You and members of your group are then to suggest some method or methods of treating this individual. Be sure to understand what treatment(s) involve. That is what is done for that sort of treatment, i.e. exposure therapy, and what type of drug (if prescribed) is used for that ailment, i.e. benzodiazepines.
Lesson 5: School Violence
Your text book mentions that the first shooting that received nation wide attention was committed by Barry Loukaitis, 14, in 1996. This just isn't quite true. One of the first that I recall was in 1979 in San Diego, California. The shooter was Brenda Ann Spencer, who was heard saying, "I don't like Mondays." Her line and the incident have been memorialized in a song by the Boom Town Rats.
In light of all the school shootings that have taken place in many parts of North America and Europe, we have to ask ourselves just what it is about the shooters that drives them to murder/assault their classmates. This is not entirely new, but the scale of their occurrence is new. See School Shootings for an idea of just how many have occurred in the last four decades. Note how many more there are in the last 15 years. Clearly this is a problem.
What drives teens to kill fellow students and teachers? (see p. 523 and the video below)
This is a very important part of this course, and for many students, the most interesting. Perhaps this is because when we think of psychology we often associate it with the work it does in helping individuals deal with mental disorders. Most times those disorders might be just a simple phobia. Other times it may be something far more dangerous to the patient or to the community in which that subject lives. Here think of serial killers or rapists. There is a whole gamut of disorders to at least have a basic understanding of for a myriad of reasons. The most important of those reasons might be just to be able to help yourself.
This section will be divided into three general categories of focus: identifying a disorder, diagnosing a disorder and treating a disorder.
Lesson 1: What is a disorder?
Creating a definition of a disorder is an on-going and, thus, a challenging task. What might be considered a disorder in one place or time might not be in another place or at a different time.
Case Study:
Did the person described in the case study above have a disorder? Explain. (In class activity).
Read pp. 510-513 (Take notes)
Lesson 2: Using the DSM IV & Diagnosing Disorders
Read pp. 514-516 (Take notes here or from classroom discussion)
This is only an introduction to the DSM IV However, you should become aware of its use, and of its inherent flaws. There is a history to this diagnostic tool. New disorders are added over time (see Aspberger's Syndrome) and some are deleted, i.e. homosexuality.
DSM-IV-TR
Lesson 3: Anxiety Disorder & Somatoform Disorders
Read pp. 517-520 (Take notes)
We will be looking at whether or not you may be experiencing some form of anxiety. For this activity complete the questionnaire:
Lesson 3a: Obsessive-Compulsive Test
Note:
- Compulsive behavior is behavior which a person does compulsively—in other words, not because they want to behave that way, but because they feel they have to do so.
- Obsessive behavior when a person is continually preoccupied with a particular activity, person, or thing
Take the next 5 minutes of class time to complete the questionnaire given to you. This is not a clinical test; its purpose to to only provide you with some idea as to what extent you are a little OCD.How to score:
These are obsessions. If the total number of true answers circled for these questions is 1 or 2: You probably do not have clinically significant obsessions.
3,4,5, or 6: You probably have obsessions that are clinically significant.
7-14: You definitely have obsessions that are clinically significant.
B. Calculate the total number of answers circled true for questions 1,2,11,12,17,18,19,20,21,24,25,26,and 27.
These are compulsions. If the total number of true answers circled for these questions is 1,2,or3: You probably do not have clinically significant compulsions.
4,5,6,or 7: You probably have clinically significant compulsions.
8-13: You definitely have compulsions that are clinically significant.
Lesson 4: Diagnosing and Treating a Disorder
Instructions: Read over the assigned case study given to you. Identify what condition the person might have. From your text (or from the Internet sources for Module 22)
You and members of your group are then to suggest some method or methods of treating this individual. Be sure to understand what treatment(s) involve. That is what is done for that sort of treatment, i.e. exposure therapy, and what type of drug (if prescribed) is used for that ailment, i.e. benzodiazepines.
Lesson 5: School Violence
Your text book mentions that the first shooting that received nation wide attention was committed by Barry Loukaitis, 14, in 1996. This just isn't quite true. One of the first that I recall was in 1979 in San Diego, California. The shooter was Brenda Ann Spencer, who was heard saying, "I don't like Mondays." Her line and the incident have been memorialized in a song by the Boom Town Rats.
In light of all the school shootings that have taken place in many parts of North America and Europe, we have to ask ourselves just what it is about the shooters that drives them to murder/assault their classmates. This is not entirely new, but the scale of their occurrence is new. See School Shootings for an idea of just how many have occurred in the last four decades. Note how many more there are in the last 15 years. Clearly this is a problem.